In education, coaching, and business, a turnaround is defined by a significant increase in positive results after the organization has been struggling for some time. Most turnaround definitions describe the change happening between three and five years although the change may be shorter or longer. The concept of turnaround exists in many areas, but the challenge of creating organizational change is putting the plan into action. Here are five key actions for turnaround leaders:
- Identify Reality: Surveys, data, and conversations lead to identifying the honest and brutal reality of where the organization currently sits. Turnaround systems require leaders to gather survey data of all stakeholders in order to see what works and what doesn’t. Data from previous benchmarks help support and tell the story of the organization. Open, honest conversations provide the qualitative data for moving forward. How clearly do you lay out the current reality?
- Develop a Process: The process for turnaround should focus on 1, 3, and 5 year plans, but it should also focus on shorter, everyday actions necessary for success. The process early on should focus on the actions needed to reach 3-5 goals. Great turnaround leaders avoid focusing on too much at once because a lot of it distracts from what matters most. How clearly do you define the necessary actions for success?
- Benchmark Often: Turnaround leaders focus on benchmark testing and analysis for the most important aspects of the turnaround. For example, if the culture of the organization matters most, then the leader will use an evaluation tool to measure that benchmark on a frequent cadence. The benchmarking must happen frequently in order to adjust the process. How consistently do you give benchmark tests to evaluate success?
- Transparent Data: The data gathered from surveys, benchmark testing, and evaluations become open data for others to see and use. Gathering and evaluating frequent data provides everyone an opportunity to make real time adjustments. In addition, everyone can see the impact of their hard work and celebrate that success. How transparent is the data you gather frequently?
- Change Fast: Turnaround situations require leaders to change frequently when something doesn’t work and double down on what does. These leaders know that spending multiple months on something that isn’t providing results is wasting significant time, so they often adapt and try something else in order to make better change. If they find that something works, then they focus on implementing more strategically and effectively. How quickly do you adjust when actions work or don’t work?
Because of the quickly changing landscape of leadership, turnaround leadership is becoming more important and significant. Turnaround leaders consistently face the reality of their situation and take strategic actions to make change. These leaders understand developing a plan, gathering data frequently, and changing quickly produces results.
What leadership strategies produce quick improvements in results?